


Punchline

by Brezifus



Category: Code Lyoko
Genre: Established Relationship, Interracial Relationship, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, just reconciling and realizing they really really like each other, mentioned ulumi because i Had To
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 18:23:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17391356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brezifus/pseuds/Brezifus
Summary: At almost 24 years old Odd hasn’t really held down a relationship for more than a few months. Now, based on something that started off as a joke, he thinks about how half a year has passed with his current boyfriend





	Punchline

**Author's Note:**

  * For [amorekay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amorekay/gifts).



> this was part of code lyoko secret santa 2k18 for Kay! we talk fairly often so i wound up lying to her for an ENTIRE MONTH to surprise her with this secret santa gift.
> 
> trust me, give this ship a chance, it's actually really good and kay needs more

There had been a lot of jokes Odd regretted making over the years. The ones his instinct told him to regret first were ones he attributed to his damn upstart nature, probably cultivated within the raucous walls of his home as his sisters all barked like wolves leaving him to do something, _anything_ to clamber over them. (Hell, if he was still in school, he could probably write a damn good paper on the whole nature versus nurture aspect of it all, and he was almost, _almost_ sure he’d finish it this time.) But in the end, the jokes he had cultivated over time, really mulled over before launching into action only to backfire in his face until his tail was so far between his legs he’d could chop it off with his teeth. Metaphorically speaking. Lyoko was years ago now. He wondered if that only made his joking nature worse, and he wondered if that’s how he wound up here.

Because it had started out as a joke. More teasing than cruel, but still a joke—Hiroki had been moping about after breaking up with Milly but wouldn’t say entirely what was on his mind (though it was Milly who had broken up with him). Yumi listened, sure, but, she awkwardly admitted, she wasn’t the best at relationships either. It was only serendipity that she and Ulrich were in the same boat and spoke the same muted language of love Odd could never understand. Hiroki then came to him for advice—Aelita was gay, Jeremie was obviously alone, so that left Odd and only Odd.

That’s when he fucked up.

He told Hiroki that, hey, Yumi still cared about him, despite the fact she couldn’t help. And, of course, Yumi trusted Odd to help her little brother, it’s not like he was going to waltz right in and make Hiroki start dating him. Rebound or not, wasn’t like Hiroki liked him anyway!

It was a joke. A stupid joke. But Hiroki hadn’t reacted, only staring at him with curious brown eyes.

The familiar feeling of being fucked—again, metaphorically speaking—knotted up in his throat and Odd wished he could take it back. Turns out Milly had broken up with Hiroki because he confided in her what he then told Odd in a quiet voice.

He liked men as well.

Milly was a good kid, Odd knew. And if she kept going down the path to be a reporter, she’d have to get over that someday. Maybe someday she’d regret it. All good things to say a guy with a broken heart, but Odd found he couldn’t for whatever stupid reason that honestly wasn’t good enough. Because if he had said these things, then it wouldn’t have gotten out of hand.

The joke had continued on. In Hiroki’s budding sexuality and frustration Odd made the stupid suggestion to give it a try before declaring anything—not necessarily with _him_ , but the idea to prank Yumi was too juicy an idea (and too effective a distraction) for either of them to realize what they were doing until it was too late. At first Yumi’s hard stare and exasperated eye roll was hilarious.

But if Odd had been paying attention he would’ve realized his friend of ten years had seen what was coming long before he did.

“Odd?” Hiroki murmured, not taking his eyes off the television as he kept playing, “You’re quiet.”

“Yeah?” Odd blinked, watching as the character Hiroki was playing as ducked into a thicket of vines, “I fell asleep,”

“No you didn’t,” Hiroki pointed out bluntly.

“Alright, alright,” he conceded, “Just thinkin’.”

“That’s worse than Yumi saying she’s _just thinking_ ,”

Odd hummed. Not that that was wrong, but he was still a little too deep in thought to respond. His eyes dropped to his bony knees, side by side with Hiroki’s curled legs. Letting one thigh rest against his, Odd turned his head on the propped pillow so he could hook his chin over Hiroki’s shoulder.

“It’s just a little weird. Feel like I’m tricking you, even though it’s been what, six months?”

“Seven,” Hiroki corrected without malice, “I was the one that confessed, remember?”

“Sure,” Odd said, trying to hear the words in Aelita’s voice before they came out of his mouth. He was nearly 24 now, he needed to get his love-life shit on lockdown or die trying because he was sick of so many people in and out of his bed. _But Yumi’s little brother?_ He’d really lost control, even if seven months was a new record for him, “But I said yeah, sure, let’s go for it, put the flag out for the bull and yelled _ol_ _é_ _! Ol_ _é_ _!_ ”

Hiroki was quiet, agonizingly so. Just like his sister, Odd mused, and the thought made his chest constrict. He opened his mouth, no doubt to say something even stupider, when Hiroki inhaled and interrupted him.

“I’m not my sister, you know. I can make decisions too.”

Odd kept his mouth open like a fly trap, then closed it. Swirled his tongue in his cheeks, then sighed, “Yeah but—,”

“ _No_ , Odd,” Hiroki interrupted, and the hurt in his voice made Odd’s eyes pop open, “I _made_ the decision to confess, knowing you could say _no_. Or...that you would, because I was my sister’s brother.”

“Uh,” he blubbered after a long bout of silence broken only by noises from the game, “...You like me?”

“Do you think this is a prank?” Hiroki asked, and though they were both well-known to be insufferable (and only made worse by their impromptu dating) Odd’s thoughts up until now compounded with those words and he bit his lip and pulled his chin off Hiroki’s shoulder.

“N- _No_ , I just—y’know, you’re my friend’s little brother—,”

“I’m _Hiroki_ ,” he spat, pausing the game as he pulled his knees closer and shoulders peaked, “And I happen to have a sister named Yumi who is your friend,”

Odd stared at him, dumb.

“Odd,” Hiroki continued, “You’re the only one who made me feel like I _belonged_ somewhere,”

Like a screaming chorus of realization all of Odd’s sisters shouted in his head, once more reminding him of the mad scramble he always made to be recognized and heard. A mad scramble that he didn’t realize Hiroki was making too, although he had to walk through walls rather than climb over people.

“Hey, Hiro-chan…,” Odd muttered, using a cutesy nickname that Yumi became infuriated upon hearing but Hiroki loved, “Like. I mean…,”

Hiroki was quiet but stayed balled up, anticipating Odd to say the worst. All Odd did, though, was scrunch his face closed then asked, “... _How_?”

“Huh?” Hiroki turned his head a little.

“I mean, I get that I’m a rebound and all. And the whole gay thing, sure. And that we haven’t, quite, told your parents yet, and that you don’t got a real robust circle of friends too. But, me? You feelin’ alright over there?”

Hiroki was quiet, then put the game controller down and stared up at the ceiling. Odd propped himself up on his arm and watched him. Y’know. If he was honest with himself (and the fact of the matter was that seeing this as _dating Yumi’s brother_ had been keeping himself from being honest) Hiroki was cute. Attractive. Smooth skin, hair that always seemed to fall in the right places no matter how insane his bedhead got, slim body with some pudge at his waist that suggested that if he had gone the route Yumi had he could be just as full of sinewy muscle as her. But instead he kept to himself unless he was pranking or playing video games, otherwise quiet and shy despite trying to declare otherwise. Odd hadn’t noticed the conundrum until just now; it was no wonder his relationships didn’t last longer than a couple of months if it took him this long to finally pull similarities between him and his partner out in the open.

“I mean…,” Hiroki breathed, “I was...scared, Odd.”

Odd blinked. Yumi was honest, but never so direct, leastways not with him. Wait. No. Stop it. This was Hiroki. Hiroki, Hiroki, Hiroki. And he called him Hiro-chan not only because Yumi hated it but because it felt cute for him to call him something like a _hero_.

“I was born here in France. Yumi was in Japan. On top of being premature, Mom always lamented I wasn’t growing up Japanese enough. Yumi’s fluent. I...can manage, but I’m not really that good. When Mom and Dad divorced, Mom wanted me to go with her back to Japan, but I chickened out, ‘cause I can’t speak the language. The look on her face…knowing that both her kids were staying…,”

Odd watched Hiroki’s neck move as he swallowed, for once keeping himself quiet as Hiroki continued.

“I’m _not_ my sister. I mean, I know I said that all confidently earlier, but...I’m not. I’m not strong, or respected, or defiant, or any of that. Without Johnny, I’m the weird quiet kid in the corner—,”

“ _Hah!_ ” Odd interrupted with a devilish smirk, “Ya know your sister is too, without us around!”

Hiroki started, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips anyways. Odd released a sigh, grateful that he had eased _something_.

“So...So when I started realizing I might like men too...I just, I just got…,”

Odd was quiet. He couldn’t even say he’d been there, done that, because to him so little of what he cared to lose was tied to who he was including his own goddamn body. Too many trips to urgent care with skinned legs, elbows, broken bones, and other such injuries from skateboarding were proof of that. (Now that XANA was gone, it was the only thing he had close to that rush of adrenaline, and he’d be lying if he said he was perfectly safe about it all the time.)

“I thought Milly would understand. I guess...she did. She hasn’t told anyone. But…,”

Odd thought about saying something. He fiddled with a stray thread on his sweatshirt instead.

“But...I was alone. Because I hadn’t even told Johnny yet. And you, well. You just don’t care,”

“Uh—,”

“No, that’s a good thing,” Hiroki smiled, a bit sad, “Mom cares. Dad cares. Yumi cares, although she doesn’t fuss as much. Johnny probably would care. Milly cared. I kind of liked...just being able to talk about it. And knowing you wouldn’t mind. Or judge. Or anything. And then it just kinda…,”

“Snowballed?”

Hiroki looked over at Odd, meek, “Yeah.”

“Huh,” he was nonchalant, but his steady gaze told Hiroki that he was doing anything but brush him off, “Didn’t think of it like that,”

His boyfriend smiled awkward and wry, “I guess I shouldn’t expect you to.”

“Y’know what I think?”

“What—no,” Hiroki furrowed his brow, “What did I just say—,”

“Think you’re brave,” Odd chewed the inside of his cheek then nodded as if to deem his judgment right, “Yep. Real bravery. Y’know, not the warrior kind.”

“ _Odd_ …,” Hiroki’s face flushed red in embarrassment and Odd grinned. Yumi rarely blushed, but her brother? He was something else. On many other levels. It’d be a challenge but he’d have to make sure to start referring to Hiroki as _his boyfriend_ instead of _Yumi’s brother_. If only he could convey that Hiroki, he’d be sure he’d enjoy that.

“Hey, c’mere?” Odd asked, reaching out to tug at Hiroki’s shoulder. Their faces inched closer, noses barely rubbing but neither moved to kiss and Odd closed his eyes. Well. None of this was a joke anymore, huh?

“Way to punch me in the gut, Hiro-chan,” he chuckled, “Didn’t know I could mean that much,”

“Hey…,” Hiroki rasped, suddenly fragile, “Didn’t know I could belong that much, okay?”

“Yeah,” Odd placed his hand on Hiroki’s hip and squeezed, “Thanks, Hiro the hero,”

“Okay, stop,” he grumbled, “Yumi taught me which nerves to pinch to kill you when she found out we were dating, _just in case_.”

Odd laughed, gently knocking his forehead against his, “If it’s a fight ya want, change the game and we’ll have a fair n’ square match,”

Hiroki quieted for a moment, but before Odd could get worried he sighed through his nose as Hiroki gently pressed against him and pushed the bridge of his nose against his scrawny neck.

“In a moment.”

Closing his eyes, Odd hummed with a smile on his face.

“Okay, boyfriend.”


End file.
